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US 7,607,647 B2Granted
Stabilizing a substrate using a vacuum preload air bearing chuck
AssigneeKLA-Tencor Technologies Corporation
InventorsGuoheng Zhao, Alexander Belyaev, Christian H. Wolters, Paul Andrew Doyle, Howard W. Dando, Mehdi Vaez-Iravani
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Substrate processing method and apparatus are disclosed. The substrate processing apparatus includes a non-contact air bearing chuck with a vacuum preload.
Claims41
A substrate processing method, comprising:
- supporting a substrate proximate the surface of the chuck, wherein a back surface of the substrate is sufficiently close to the surface of the chuck that a flow of gas and vacuum can maintain the back surface of the substrate and the surface of the chuck in a spaced-apart relationship;
- providing a flow of gas to a surface of a chuck through one or more openings in the surface of the chuck;
- drawing vacuum through one or more channels distributed across the surface of the chuck, wherein the one or more vacuum channels comprise one or more horizontal channels formed in a surface of the chuck between raised areas of the surface of the chuck;
- and
- moving the substrate along a direction that is substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate.
2 more elements
A substrate processing method, comprising:
- supporting a substrate proximate the surface of the chuck, wherein supporting the substrate comprises supporting the substrate at a center of the substrate, wherein a back surface of the substrate is sufficiently close to the surface of the chuck that a flow of gas and vacuum can maintain the back surface of the substrate and the surface of the chuck in a spaced-apart relationship;
- providing a flow of gas to a surface of a chuck through one or more openings in the surface of the chuck;
- drawing vacuum through one or more channels distributed across the surface of the chuck;
- and
- rotating the substrate relative to the chuck surface about an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.
2 more elements
A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
- a chuck having a surface, wherein the surface includes one or more gas flow openings configured to provide a flow of gas to the surface, wherein the surface includes one or more vacuum channels distributed across the surface of the chuck, wherein the vacuum channels are configured to permit vacuum to be drawn therethrough, wherein the one or more vacuum channels comprise one or more horizontal channels formed in a surface of the chuck between raised areas of the surface of the chuck.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.